Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Musings: Random Observations

Last night it was all about the moon, a little crescent, at first white in a pink-stained sky, then growing golden, exposing the whole it held as it slipped lower, becoming a celestial scoop of ice cream.

In the morning, out before dawn, Makalii a fuzzy cluster headed toward Waialeale, Orion almost overhead, and then I turned to see bright and sparkling Venus, peeking up over the treetops, heralding the approach of the sun.

Just about that time I thought, gee, I haven’t seen Farmer Jerry in a while, and then some headlights swung around the curve and there he was, fresh back from Honolulu, as he so often seems to be. He was talking about the quality of the produce in Chinatown – the really fresh, crisp stuff that they grow on Oahu and bring in from all the other islands.

And we talked of how here, unless you have the time and stamina to brave the sunshine markets, or know someone who grows, you’re hard-pressed to find any local fruits and veggies. It sure ain’t in the grocery stores; it’s even scarce in the health food stores. What’s wrong with this picture?

Frankly, it’s a lot easier these days to buy locally grown cannabis than a sunrise papaya. In fact, a friend told me there’s currently a glut of da crip because so many people have gotten the medical marijuana card and are growing their own. It’s put a damper on weed sales, especially imports.

That reminds me of my radio show the other day, when we were talking about California’s failed bid to legalize marijuana. A reader had asked me to question Council members about whether they’d support an initiative to stop “green harvest,” so I quizzed Mel Rapozo, who had expressed an interest in the Public Safety Committee. He punted to the mayor, saying he administers the federal grants that support it, but then Councilman Jay Furfaro noted that the Council does have to approve the budget and its expenditures.

So sounds like both the mayor and Council would need to be lobbied hard to put an end to the intrusive flyovers. Hmmmm. It might just be easier to get a medical marijuana card. People always find a way around a repressive system.

Another friend, a Hawaiian born and raised on the North Shore, was telling me how depressed he was by what’s happened to the Kalalau trail – the beginning part, to Hanakapiai, that just went through a million-dollar face lift administered by Thomas Noyes, aka Mr. Path, and the Kauai Action and Planning Alliance, which has its fingers in so many cash-filled pies. He said they took the approach of “we don’t know when we might get money again, so let’s go gangbusters” and cut down mature ohia and hala trees, pushed rocks over the pali and opened the trail up wide.

“It’s like a fucking freeway now,” he said. “And they actually made it more dangerous because now there’s nothing along the trail to hang on to when it rains and gets slippery.” He said the ultimate irony was seeing a sign at Hanakapiai advising people to care for Hawaii’s natural resources. It was posted on the stump of a hala tree that was recently cut down.

I was talking to another friend, a political observer, who was telling me about the reorganization at the Lege and how our own Ron Kouchi had sided with Sen. Shan Tsutsui to deny Big Island Sen. Russell Kokubun leadership. “I was kind of surprised, because you know, Russell, he’s an environmentalist, he’s always supported farming,” my friend said. It doesn’t surprise me. The only thing green about Ron is the color of his campaign signs and the money in his wallet.

Finally, I found it amusing that Councilman Tim Bynum blamed his zoning problems on a vendetta by Councilman Mel Rapozo and Prosecutor Shaylene Iseri-Carvalho — as if they’re his only enemies in the county. And used to be folks would get upset if the planning department failed to go after a Councilman. Now we’ve got people crying that they’re being too hard on poor old Tim....

It's obviously just about the tvrs to Joan. Tim committed the cardinal sin of saving the county from hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees by allowing ag tvrs to apply for permits. It's obviously not about honesty or character. Joan is happy to stomach Mel's KPD Blue hijinks because he's on her side where tvrs are concerned. This is all about political hackery.

Tim didn't save the county sqat...the right to apply to the land use commission for a special use permit was always there, no one did.

and if it wasn't uch a gift, why allow people to apply for another year, opening the door for all the for sale properties to come in too, or hello, it woulda had a bonafide ag use required, don't ya think? no it was a gift to the riches,

You obviously don't get that it is a huge issue for many of us and Tim along w/ the others that voted w/ him are accountable for much distrust and disgust surrounding tvrs on ag land.

I don't buy the whole "save the County from being sued" rational. Our County officials have no balls here. Let people intimidate them w/ the threat of lawsuits even tho these same people knew what the deal was when they bought their properties. Bunch of bs.

"Joan is happy to stomach Mel's KPD Blue hijinks because he's on her side where tvrs are concerned"

Why do think Mel lost the Mayoral race? I didn't vote for him for that reason. I happen to like his stand on certain important issues and am willing to give him another stint on the Council. Besides I don't recall Joan endorsing Mel for Council.

Anonymous 10:11 AM - Joan does her research as evident in her two recent posts about the 'A'o and Tim Bynum's case with the Planning Department. She gave the info which is public record. I, for one, appreciate her effort.

"question Council members about whether they’d support an initiative to stop “green harvest,” so I quizzed Mel Rapozo"

This was a great idea and you (and others) should put he same question to other council members too. This is a dialog that should start, and is bigger than some other issues that have dominated recently. So what was your sense- was he reluctant to commit?

California just reduced possession to a non-criminal infraction, like a speeding ticket. Monday night on Jay Leno, Arnold said he reduced it to a non-criminal offense because, and I quote, "Because if someone wants to smoke a joint, who cares?"

In Hawaii you can do 30 days in a jail cell for possession of pot and 5 years in a prison with rapists and murderers for having a pipe to smoke your pot in. Such craziness is on our books. And Kauai takes federal money to fly those damn loud helis everywhere to pull out pot plants? Better they pull invasive species, and replant Ohia that the DLNR killed. The County could also regulate the noise if it wanted to....

Anyway a county ordinance rejecting green harvest money would seem to be worth pursuing. Need to stop wasting federal tax dollars on prohibition, get back to being the country of "freedom" that we claim to be, tax the pot, the biggest cash crop in America, and just stop being so damn stupid - taking my hard earned tax money to enforce criminal laws that some half of the people break anyway.

Limit noise by County ordinance in the area outside of those lanes to something that keeps the heli's out.

Do it in a way that the heli co's stay in business, but for the sake of us who live here, and all especially for all of the animals, maybe limit where they can go a little more - and make the green harvest heli's obey the same law too.

Clearly Tim does not deserve to be a Council person when he commits the crime of using a rice cooker in his family room. Good thing we have Shayleen to file the anonymous report to be investigated by Sheila and our crack planning team. Justice will be swerved and we can all sleep sounder.

Tim doesn't deserve to be on the Council because he opened the door for an illegal use of ag land to be made legal for those tvrs that had been illegally operating for years. Those McMansions that make thousands a night and have no problem paying the high real property taxes that they cause but that legit farmers in no way can afford. He talks about preserving Kauai's lifestyle and being sustainable but he shoots down real farmers. Preserving Kauai's rural quality doesn't equate to a concrete path around the entire coast making it accessible to hordes of tourists. Let's not forget the iwi that will certainly be disturbed that are currently undisturbed. Tim is catering to tourists at the expense of a local lifestyle that longtime kamaaina families cherish.

poor baby. keep crying - when your great grand children have access to the shore - then and probably only after you are long gone will the vision (started in 1979 with the state's bike path plan) be realized and access protected.

when your great grand children have access to the shore - then and probably only after you are long gone will the vision (started in 1979 with the state's bike path plan) be realized and access protected.

WTF, ever hear of sea level rise/erosion? dumb dumb to build along the shore, and you think the path will be here for your grandchildren? so you evision an armored coastline witha concrete path, hmm, not exactly the vision of white sandy beaches...

Fishermen and people who want to enjoy the quiet solitude of undeveloped coastlines DON'T want a f*#king concrete slab/path/road intruding the ENTIRE east coastline bringing the masses to areas previously known by few. Sounds like the path people are trying to connect all the VDA's on the eastside for the benefit of tourism. Locals who work in the service industry don't necessarily want to spend their precious free time inundated by the very same people they serve at work.

Nothing is off limits for the industry....not even destruction of iwi. In this vision spawned in 1979 was any thought given to the countless burials that have been undisturbed for hundreds of years? I think not. That is the irony of the industry. The very culture they sell is destroyed in the process.

Whether it's due to rising sea levels or not, the island is eroding. You can harden the shoreline to protect buildings and bike paths, but that just leads to accelerated erosion further down the coast. Not to sweat, lovers of Kauai, she'll still be here long after humanity passes from the planet.

Fishermen and people who want to enjoy the quiet solitude of undeveloped coastlines DON'T want a f*#king concrete slab/path/road intruding the ENTIRE east coastline bringing the masses to areas previously known by few.

Since when are "the masses" excluded from the public coastline? And, who the "f*#k" are you to speak for what people want and don't want. Your narrow-minded parochial opinions aren't made any more legitimate by putting them into other peoples' mouths. doesn't give ma

By bringing in the masses the essence of a wild coastline is changed forever. A bike path is not a trail. It essentially urbanizes a place.

I don't speak just for myself although you're arrogant enough to think you speak for everyone. There are others out there that don't share your "vision". Doesn't make us narrow minded. And you danced around the issue of wahi kapu. Places sacred to Hawaiians like burial grounds. Oh I forgot...it's a non-issue.

So that let's you off the hook? How convenient that because a part Hawaiian conceived of this idea makes it pono? What would he think now after all the backlash over Wailua? Would he have had a change of heart? We'll never know but that doesn't change our kuleana to iwi kupuna. There are some Hawaiians who give lip service to their culture but don't practice it outside of wearing a lei or strumming an ukulele ala HVB.

what is the ratio of sandy, eroding beach along the shoreline to rocky balsalt outcroppings?

How many miles of NON sandy shoreline will this ultimately 'effect'.

AGAIN - the sky is not falling, many of the elevation heights of the path are greatly above the 'blue line', seriously, get over your paranoid forecasting of doom and gloom and look at the actual facts. please?

Wed 9-12 at Lihue Library KNIBC meeting Burials discovbered at WAILUA and Kalalau.Baptiste died unexpectantly... we'll never know what effect his decision to build along the coast had with his life being over, could have been a cosmic punishment. Whatever, he may have been a better leader and listened to common sense not to build over known burial grounds or not... but that doesn't excuse Bernard. With good planning, we'd have a beach and a bike path rather than change kauai into the image you choose.And to all who say there are no burials in Wailua, they are on the agenda at the burial council tomorrow.

"And there are some who crassly use Hawaiian culture in the service of their anti-development political causes."

"Crassly"?I am Hawaiian and there is nothing to "use" here. It is what I am. I don't use it when it suits me. It is the essence of my being as is this place. Hard for you to grasp?

Why should kanaka be required to show proof of anything i.e. lineal descendants? It should be the other way around. The State or whatever entity is involved should do their own due diligence to prove that their aren't any burials or archealogical sites to begin with. The entire Wailua ahupua'a is a known culturally sensitive area and to assume that there aren't any burials in the way of this path is convenient for it's supporters.

"NOPE - because much of the path way is old rail road tracks that have been disturbed for a long time, not as long ago as the burials they unearthed but before there were laws to protect them."

So exactly what percentage of the path will be on the old railroad tracks? Around the airport and Ninini point as well? So the portion of path that is not on the tracks will have burials or NO? The Plantation Era was brutal to our culture so by all means lets continue the onslaught that began years ago. Others descecrated so why should you care? Main ting you get your path.

Look at the beach erosion before Lihi in Kapaa and you tell me how much money is the County going to pour into this path to protect it from erosion? Money would be better spent doing away with furloughs so that people can pay the rent and eat.

Mahalo anon 7:09 am. I was referring to maintenance over the long term, not to build the damn thing. He/she never addressed the portion by the airport and Ninini. And what of the portion that will extend beyond "Donkey Beach" (sorry the true name escapes me, Joan knows) to Anahola and Moloa'a communities? Do they want it in their backyard?

Also an area lots of fishermen frequent. I don't need to know what's there by reading a map as Ahukini and surrounding areas are my backyard.

Whether they wanted the trains back then is irrelevant. I'm talking about a concrete bike path TODAY for people to recreate...not a train for sugar transport when jobs at the plantations was the main industry. People didn't have a lot of choices to make a living then. Sugar Barons had all the political power once the Hawaiian Kingdom was overthrown.

Your bike path is a continuation of that period of domination where 'Oiwi culture was trampled literally. Since bones and heiau were previously disturbed no big deal.

So, the bike path obliterates the past, and will be obliterated in the future, but the feds paid 80%, so today's leaders(bynam and bernard and noyes ) are dandy with the path . Hey, only today matters, the past and the future are meaningless. Some planning